Poco a Poco
by ZIIIX
Summary: A collection of drabbles between the characters. First K-On fanfiction, but I hope to become more active around here.
1. Chapter 1

Hello! And welcome to my first K-On fic that I have ever written. In a nutshell, I will be writing short drabbles between two characters or the group as a whole in order to understand the characters better, as I see that as a suitable way to begin writing characters that I know and love but have never written for before. I hope you enjoy this first one, and maybe will continue to read them as I slowly produce more. But regardless, I present to you Chapter One. And the title is of Music terminology, meaning literally 'little by little' in a play on words to show that I'm getting an idea for the characters 'little by little.'

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The roll of a floor tom drum followed the muted reverberations of a harmonised bass and guitar chord, and the room was suddenly silent save the heavy breathing from its occupants. A collective sigh escaped the lips of five girls that were positioned off-center of the room, near the wall where large chalkboards and a portable whiteboard were placed. The silence didn't last long however, as it was soon broken by the sudden chatter of the girls as they loosened their tense shoulders after the practise.

"That didn't sound too bad that last time," one of them said to the rest of the group, repositioning the strap of her bass in an attempt to relieve her shoulders of some of the weight. She wiped her brow to rid of the thin film of sweat that had collected there during the practice, and shook stray locks of ebony hair out of her face with a sharp flick of her neck.

"We're getting better each day it seems," a fair-haired girl added, giving a vacuous smile as she lifted her hands from the keyboard that stood in front of her.

"And it seems like Ritsu-senpai is rushing less now," piped up another, younger girl, turning her head to look at the brunette mentioned: the afternoon sun catching her pigtails showing the faintest traces of blue in her raven hair as she cradled the contrasting cherry red guitar in her hands.

"Why does everyone always have to mention that?" the girl Ritsu sighed exasperatedly, clacking her drum sticks against the edge of the snare almost impatiently. "You could always play faster, you know!" The drummer looked over to her left, calling to the remaining band member. "Isn't that right Yu-Yui?!" She found the other brunette fast asleep on the blue-cushioned couch, still holding onto her cherry sunburst guitar as she snoozed peacefully with her knees pulled close to herself: her feet half-hanging off the couch with her heels rested firmly on the cushion.

The keyboardist giggled politely into the palm of her hand, stifling the sound as the kouhai reintroduced her own palm with her forehead, a sigh escaping her lips that sounded somewhere between annoyed and wistful.

"I'd say that concludes today's session then," the bassist smiled, amused as she put away her Fender in its rightful case and slung it over her shoulder. She retrieved her bag that sat with the others next to the afore mentioned couch, and took the opportunity to shake the sleeping girl awake. "Come on Yui. It's time to go home, or everyone will leave without you," she added as the others began following suit and packed up the instruments that needed to be put away or taken home.

"Five more minutes…" the brunette mumbled groggily as she hugged her guitar closer as if to protect it from the dangers of the outside world.

The blond girl looked at Yui for a moment before being struck with an idea. "Yui-chan," she said softly in her usual way, "if you insist on sleeping there you'll miss out on the cake and sweets I'll–" The second the word "cake" left her mouth the sleeping figure had sprung up from the couch and clasped the keyboardist's hands in her own, an alarmed look on her face.

"I'm up! I'm awake! You don't need to give the cake to Ricchan, Mugi-chan!" she insisted peremptorily, ignoring the shout of protest coming from the drummer in response to the seeming jab.

"That's good to hear," Tsumugi replied blithely, still smiling. "I'm sure you don't want Ui-chan to worry about where you are."

"I wonder what kind of sweets Ui made today?" Yui asked to no one suddenly, staring off into space as various desserts paraded through her head.

"I wish I had a sister like her…" Ritsu sighed wishfully, knowing full well that it was probably true that Yui's younger sister had made countless delicacies for her onee-chan. She glanced at the bassist as she picked up her own bag and threw it over her shoulder, asking a well-used question that has passed her lips countless times. "Hey Mio, are you busy this weekend?"

"Ritsu, even if I was busy, you'd still come over regardless," Mio deadpanned as she gave the drummer a look that seemed to give off the feeling of an oncoming lecture.

"So is that a no?" the brunette asked, ignoring the look as she raised her eyebrows in question at the onyx-haired girl. She failed to dodge in time before a swift hand thwacked her in the back of the head, raising a sizable lump from her cranium. The kouhai looked upon this scene with mild interest, having seen it time and time again beforehand. One thought, however, seemed to replay itself in her mind every time something like this occurred.

_Are all upperclassmen like this?_

"It'll probably get lonely for you next year, won't it Azusa-chan?" Tsumugi asked the raven-haired girl suddenly, wearing a bemused expression as she saw the look on the younger girl's face. The sudden question caught Azusa off guard however, making her head jerk towards the keyboardist wondering if her senpai could tell what she was thinking. She shook the thought away mentally, regarding the connection to be too far of a stretch, and smiled nervously at the blonde, unsure of how to answer otherwise.

They filed out of the music room after gathering up their belongings, and, after Ritsu carelessly slammed the door shut earning her another lump from Mio, descended the stairs to ground level and exited the school into the late afternoon sunlight. The five musicians continued their trek across the grounds and through the front gates of the campus, casual banter flowing between them as they enjoyed the relaxing feeling of the time after a good practice together. Nothing would ever replace the rush that comes in the second the last chord is played, or the excitement of being on stage in front of hundreds of people cheering for you, but in its own mellow way, being with friends and striving for one single dream is as comfortable and assuring as the friendly conversations that fill the air between them right now.

Soon however they were forced to go their separate ways, starting with Tsumugi as she boarded the train heading in a vague direction that the others never paid much attention to, and only wondered privately of what kind of upper-crust place the ojou might live. After all, one could only imagine what her house must be like if what she calls her 'small' summer villas were virtual mansions in themselves.

Azusa and Yui were the next to part, turning at a corner while bidding good bye to their friends and fellow band members. Much to Azusa's displeasure, Yui had grabbed her hand and was swinging their now-linked arms jovially back and forth as they walked along. Both Mio and Ritsu could hear the kouhai's protests as they slowly disappeared from view, catching a glimpse of the raven-haired girl's blushing face as she berated her senpai for such childish behaviour.

The two remaining girls continued their own route, boarding the railways and leaving the city area for the suburbs. With the absence of the other girls, most of the trip fell into a comfortable silence between the two, neither feeling any need to break the quiet air as they enjoyed each other's company. Sometime after they had departed the train station and were walking down a neighbourhood road however, Mio turned to her brunette friend with a raised eyebrow and a frown on her lips.

"Ritsu, you missed the turn for your house awhile ago," she remarked in a quizzical tone, but she had a feeling of what the drummer was up to.

"I know. Your point being..?" That's what Mio was afraid of.

"… My point being that this is the way to _my_ house," she said, emphasising the 'my' as if it mattered to her friend.

"Which is my point," Ritsu concluded simply, thinking that that's all there was to say about the matter and that it was the most obvious thing in the world. Mio knew better than to try and argue with her, as Ritsu had made it a habit to show up unannounced at her house just about since the two had become friends all those years ago.

"And your mum and dad know about this?" Mio asked next, wondering what the ecstatic girl's parents always thought about their daughter's inane and sporadic schedule.

"I told them this morning," was a reply she definitely wasn't expecting. Since when had Ritsu actually planned ahead for anything?

_I wonder if she's actually__ maturing,_ the obsidian-haired girl thought with mild amusement.

---

"It's about time you got new reading material," came a call of annoyance over from her bookcase, but it fell on deaf ears as the owner of said bookcase didn't bat an eye at the indignant cry directed at her. Instead she continued reading the short novel that was assigned to them in school, turning a well-worn page with slender fingers, the material barely making a sound from years of use.

The one over by the bookcase turned her amber eyes away from saturated colours of the numerous spines of books towards the figure sitting leniently at a work desk, her furrowed brow matching the tone of her voice from before. She was more or less used to being ignored by the taller girl, but that doesn't mean she puts up with it.

"You've had the same books for awhile, and most of them are outdated." She added the last with an emphasis of disgust as she caught sight of a particularly bright spine of a book, its paperback cover sporting pastel pinks and greens that made the brunette want to shrink back away from it as if touching it would result in an infection.

The response she got was some kind of noise that landed in a neutral-sounding category with no room for real interpretation. Giving an indignant huff, she ended her search for something to read and opted for a new form of entertainment. "Hey Mio, yesterday when I was reading that book I got a paper cut on my finger and it started bleeding–" She didn't even have to finish her sentence as Mio had already covered her ears with her hands, effectively blocking out any sound while muttering "I didn't hear it, I didn't hear it…" The poor girl didn't even think about the fact that not only were the pages too weathered to actually cut skin, but Ritsu probably hadn't even started reading the book in the first place.

With her plan having the desired reaction, the drummer grinned in a victorious way as she watched her friend retreat away from the desk, determined not to let her fingers fall to such a fate. The grin quickly turned to a shaky smile when she noticed that Mio had caught sight of it, a daunting aura seeming to surround her as she advanced towards the brunette. Bracing herself, she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the imminent smack to the noggin that was coming.

It didn't come.

Opening one eye slowly, Ritsu found Mio standing in front of her, looking back at her with an indescribable expression. Opening the other eye and raising an eyebrow, the drummer gave the onyx-haired girl a confused look, which was answered with a shrug of the shoulders.

"You've been hit enough for today," she said simply while giving a soft smile, causing the shorter girl to gain her cheeky grin again.

"What's this? It looks like my Mio-chuan is going soft," she teased in her sing-song voice, poking the taller girl's cheek for emphasis.

"Don't press your luck," Mio threatened agitatedly, though with the smile still on her lips slightly. However, she felt a feeling of something: _uncertainty_ maybe at the sudden claim of possession. The feeling went away gradually, and she shook her head slightly while suppressing a chuckle. Her friend had a habit of saying a lot of things without implying subtext that many might see. That's who Ritsu was really.

_Well if she is maturing, she'll still be the same Ritsu to me now until who knows when_, she thought dryly, smiling broader at the confused and suspicious look she was receiving from the girl in question.

_And I probably wouldn't want it otherwise._

_

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_

Well that was a bit of a sudden ending, but I didn't want to drag it out in fear of making it any more awkward. Revisions will be made to this periodically when I'm noted about needing corrections, but as it stands this is the second or third draft of my first drabble. I hope you've enjoyed it, and will be willing to read any that follow it.

Note: Any subtext found at the end is in a state of uncertainty of whether it's actually there or not. After all, I'm still trying to understand the characters, and they will no doubt evolve as I get more used to writing them in the future.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **So I'm sure that most people now don't even remember me writing, but I do write for this fandom, and though slowly I get out chapters. It'd be best if you went back to the first chapter for a refresher to remember what was going on, but basically this chapter picks up where Yui and Azusa turned off from the others. A bit short, but that's drabbles for you, eh?

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"Yui-senpai, could you please let go now?" a second year girl called out in protest at her brunette companion, indicating her agitation at her hand that was clasped in the older girl's. The two students were strolling down the street heading towards the suburbs of the city, guitar cases slung over their shoulders and scarves wrapped around their necks. The younger's elder in question looked to be in a state of tranquility, and the kouhai had to wonder if she even heard her at all with her face a mask of blissful ignorance.

"But isn't it warmer this way, Azu-nyan?" Yui responded contentedly while beginning to swing their arms back and forth.

_'Oh no, not this again,'_ Azusa thought despairingly, trying in vain to keep her own arm steady from her senpai's stronger grip. "It's not really that cold though," she argued meekly while her body gave an involuntary shiver much to her displeasure. "And people might get the wrong idea…" the kouhai mumbled into her scarf, her gaze shifting nervously around her at any passersby. The blush that had been adorning her face for the last five minutes intensified suddenly from saying this, and she again attempted to free herself from the brunette's hold.

"Aww, you don't like me anymore Azu-nyan?" the brunette questioned miserably, a betrayed look on her face.

"What are you saying Yui-senpai?" was the raven-haired girl's response, her twin-tails whipping around as she startled from shock. Her mind was overloading from the amount of implications that her senior seemed to be giving, and she was just about to keel over.

Until she was suddenly jerked to the left by the grip on her hand.

She brought her other hand up to keep herself from smashing into a glass window that sprang up into her vision, feeling the jarring force of the impact snake up her arm. Wincing and knowing that she'd be feeling that tomorrow morning, Azusa glanced over at Yui seeing her captivated by whatever was through the glass. Taking a look through the frosted window, she found a display of sweets and pastries set up elegantly to catch the eye of people passing the shop. '_I should've known...'_ the kouhai deadpanned to herself before turning to her fellow guitarist. "You just ate most of the cakes that Mugi-senpai brought. How can you think of eating anymore?" she questioned skeptically with a raised eyebrow.

"But these are for the walk home..." Yui began, her head turned towards Azusa's general direction but keeping her eyes glued to the sweets in front of her.

"Wait, you're not even going to wait until you get home to eat?" Her appetite never ceased to amaze the petite guitarist.

"Ui will have sweets ready for me by then," the brunette replied matter-of-factly while pulling the raven-haired girl into the shop with her, with the latter having a resounding _'good Lord' _bouncing around in her head.

The interior of the cake shop was of stark contrast to the temperature outside, and the warm aroma of fresh dough being baked added to the atmosphere in easing Azusa's shivers as she got used to the sudden change. The shop itself was not very busy, and only a couple of people stood in line ordering with a few other customers scattered here and there at the tables, enjoying a warm cup of coffee or tea as they idled the day away.

Azusa watched Yui stroll over to where the desserts were being displayed behind the glass, but only to turn around and investigate more of what the shop had to offer by the order counter. The kouhai sighed to herself once again, and then decided to take a look herself. After all, she might as well while she was there, even if she didn't care to get anything. She wandered up to where the brunette was currently standing, taking a glance at what the older guitarist was admiring behind the glass. "Isn't that a bit pricy for you?" she questioned Yui when she took a look at the price tag. The money was well placed, however. A towering confection of chocolate and frosting stood in front of them on a decorated plate sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar. Azusa could almost hear the gears in Yui's head turning as the older girl mentally considered how much money she had on her.

"Azu-nyan, how much money do you have?" She suddenly questioned, causing her to receive a glare from the girl in question.

"Senpai, I'm not buying it for you," was her definite answer.

"I didn't want you to buy it for me!" Yui cried, trying to defend herself. "I was thinking maybe we could split the cost and the cake… Plus Ui won't let me carry that much money at one time." Azusa deadpanned at this, but she did have to admit that the cake was tempting. However, she felt like she couldn't eat it after the sweets she had just had back at school. Nevertheless, she took out her wallet from her school bag and opened it to find only a few coins.

"Um…" she started, not sure what to say. She looked up slowly to look at Yui, who had a disappointed look on her face. This only caused Azusa to feel guilty, knowing that she had spent most of her money on "deals" she had found online. She gave the brunette an apologetic look, adding, "I'm sorry Yui-senpai. I don't have much on me."

Yui's mouth looked like an upside-down V in an anime-ish way, pouting as she gave another look towards the cake. She however then turned back to face the petite guitarist, a broad smile on her face like she had forgotten about it already. "It's alright Azu-nyan. Maybe next time?" She started to head for the door, still smiling at Azusa.

"S-sure!" _'Why did I stutter?'_ She quickly composed herself to speak more regularly, not understanding why she suddenly stammered. "I'll make sure to have money for it."

"Great!" Yui chirped, grabbing Azusa's hand and leading her out of the shop. "It's a date then." This, of course, got a reaction from the other guitarist, who was now questioning what other things the airhead might be implying while berating her senpai for opting to such wording.

_'Sometimes I feel as if she's trying to get a reaction from me though,'_ the kouhai thought bitterly as she calmed down, taking note of her hand still being held. "Yui-senpai, you can let go now."

"Eh? Why?" was her answer as she turned to face the raven-haired girl with a glance at their clasped hands. Azusa gestured to the left with her free hand.

"Because my house is this way, not that way," she reminded her, pointing to the respective directions.

"Aww…" Yui whined before reluctantly letting go her Azusa's hand. As always though, her demeanor changed quickly to her usual happy self, and pulled the kouhai into a tight hug. The latter squeaked slightly in surprise, but gave in to the embrace, knowing it was useless to resist. The brunette then ended the hug, breaking away with her usual smile. "See you later then Azu-nyan! And don't forget the date!"

"Senpai…" the younger girl growled, throwing a glare at her before sighing and turning to continue walking to her house. She looked back at Yui who was waving enthusiastically at her, so she waved slightly in return before looking ahead again with a pensive face.

_'Date, huh?'_

_

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_**A/N:** And that's it. A bit foreshadowing for a future chapter, but what characters I'll be following will jump around, so there's no set schedule. Also I'm gonna state that it's difficult to keep consistent with setting when you're writing at different times of the year, but that is mainly my fault. I'm sure it's weird for those of you in summer to be reading a winter chapter. Anyway, review if you'd like to point something out to me, need me to change a typo, or just want to be awesome and review.

Until next time.


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